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MACA IS A ROOT VEGETABLE that grows at extreme altitudes in the
Andes mountains, higher than any other food crop in the world. This is
a harsh environment of burning sunshine and fierce winds during the
day, and sub-zero temperatures at night. These rugged conditions and
the mineral-rich soil give Maca its elemental power and
strength.
May
be helpful in alleviating symptoms as follows:
Menopausal symptoms: hot flushes, vaginal dryness, tender
breasts, sleeplessness, emotional upsets, brain fog
Menstrual problems:
Pain, PMS, flooding and/or scant flow
Osteoporosis:
significant bone rebuilding, improvement in bone density.
Energy booster:
Balances the endocrine system - thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Sports men and women: restorative,
energy, strength and stamina
(please
read this important notice concerning supplement medical claims)
Research
Male and female hormones
Peruvian medical doctors say that maca root works in a fundamentally
different way than HRT, promoting optimal functioning of the
hypothalamus and the pituitary, thereby improving the functioning of
all the endocrine glands.
They isolated four alkaloids from the maca root and carried out animal
studies with male and female rats given either powdered maca root or
the alkaloids. Females receiving either root powder or alkaloids
showed multiple egg follicle maturation, while in males, significantly
higher sperm production and motility rates were noted than in control
groups.
They established that it was the alkaloids in the maca root, not its
plant hormones, that produced fertility effects on the ovaries and
testes of the rats. "These effects are measurable within 72 hours
of dosing the animals," they said. They deduced that the
alkaloids were acting on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, which
explains why both male and female rats were affected in a
gender-appropriate manner. This also explains why the effects in
humans are not limited to ovaries and testes, but also act on the
adrenals, giving a feeling of greater energy and vitality, and on the
pancreas and thyroid as well.
Osteoporosis
Dr Jorge Aguila Calderon, Dean of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the
National University of Federico Villareal in Lima, prescribes maca for
a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis and the healing
of bone fractures in the very elderly. He says, "Maca has a lot
of easily absorbable calcium in it, plus magnesium, and a fair amount
of silica, which we are finding very useful in treating
decalcification of bones in children and adults."
Dr Calderon has also helped patients overcome male impotence, male
sterility and female sterility by employing maca therapy. Additional
problems he treats with maca are rickets, various forms of anaemia,
menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, climacteric
and erectile difficulties in men, premature ageing, and general states
of weakness, such as chronic fatigue.
"What I see in maca is a means of normalizing our steroid
hormones like testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen. Therefore, it
has the capability to forestall the hormonal changes of ageing. It
acts on men to restore them to a healthy functional status in which
they experience a more active libido. Lots of men and women who
previously believed their sexual problems were psychological, are now
clearly going to look for something physiological to improve their
quality of life in the area of sexuality.
Of course, as someone interested in longevity, I’m aware that
mortality comes on much sooner for those individuals whose sexual
activity is diminished or nonexistent. I believe that people who
engage in sex twice a week, or more, live longer. I’ve found sexual
activity to be a reliable marker for overall ageing."
One of the modern pioneers in the therapeutic use of this ancient herb
for an urban population is Hugo Malaspina, MD, a respected
cardiologist in Lima. Dr Malaspina has been using the maca root in his
practice for a decade and makes the following observation: "There
are different medicinal plants that work on the ovaries stimulating
them. With maca, though, we should say that it regulates the ovarian
function." Dr Malaspina, who uses maca therapy for both his male
and female patients, recalls that he first heard about this
extraordinary herb through a group of elderly gentlemen who, while
well along in years were still lively and interested in enjoying
sexual activities. "One of this group (they were all over 70)
started taking maca and found he was able to perform satisfactorily in
a sexual relationship with a lady friend. Soon everyone in the group
began drinking the powdered maca as a beverage and enjoying the boos
that the root was giving their hormonal functions. " I have
several of these men as my patients and their improvement prompted me
to find out more about maca and begin recommending it to my other
patients", Dr. Malaspina stated. What makes maca so effective,
according to Dr. Malaspina, is that rather than introducing hormones
from outside the body, maca encourages the ovaries and other glands to
produce the needed hormones. The cardiologist said, "Maca
regulates the organs of internal secretion, such as the pituitary, the
adrenal glands, the pancreas, etc. I have perhaps 200 female patients
whose premenopausal and postmenopausal symptoms are alleviated by
taking maca."
Physicians in the United States believe this herb has the potential of
a balanced answer to the effects of ageing on the endocrine system.
Many who have tried phytoestrogens and/or precursor hormones such as
DHEA or pregnenelone, or even natural hormone replacement therapy and
have been dissatisfied, are getting excellent results from their use
of maca root. Gabriel Cousens, MD, practicing internal medicine in
Arkansas, says: "Whenever possible, I prefer to use maca therapy
rather than hormone replacement therapy because HRT actually ages the
body by diminishing the hormone-producing capability of the glands.
Maca has proven to be very effective with menopausal patients in
eliminating hot flashes and depression and in increasing energy
levels. To find the right dosage level, sometimes I started the
patient on maca treatment with a half a teaspoon of powder or three
capsules a day. In some cases I have raised the dosage to a teaspoon
or six capsules a day for full effectiveness."
In keeping with its mode of acting through the hypothalamus and
pituitary, maca has a balancing and nourishing effect on the
adrenal glands. Henry Campanile, MD, a 50-year old specialist in
internal and family/complementary medicine practising in Florida
states: "I happen to have been born with only one adrenal gland
just like my father. I started taking cortisone in my late twenties to
relieve the fatigue which I was already feeling. Knowing the dangers
of long term cortisone use, I looked around for an alternative, and
this circumstance is what got me interested in complementary medicine.
I started using pregnenelone about 10 years ago and it has been fairly
satisfactory. But one of my patients told me about Maca and I started
taking it about a month ago.
It is phenomenal! I haven’t felt this good since I was 20 years old.
I have so much energy and look so well, my patients have remarked on
it and told me how rested I seem. I’ve got so much energy now, that
I’ve started an exercise program". After trying it on himself,
Dr Campanile began using maca with his patients. My first patient to
take maca capsules was experiencing hot flashes and other menopausal
symptoms. She started feeling much better after using this herb for
only four days. I’m also employing it with patients who have a low
adrenal function."
Another American doctor who has recently begun to use maca
therapeutically for some patients is Harold Clark, MD, of New
Rochelle, New York. Dr Clark, who utilises chelation therapy and ozone
therapy in addition to herbs, vitamins and minerals in his practice
stated, "I’m amazed at how fast maca worked on two patients
that I have been concerned about for some time." He described one
patient as 55 year-old Mary T, a postmenopausal woman. Mary T was
possessed of numerous sugar, hypertension, atrial fibrillation and
hypomagnesemia. She had been acutely ill for two months with
osteomyelitis and generalised sepsis. Unable to work, she was
suffering from great fatigue and depression and feeling "worse
and worse" over the last five years. "Within just four
days of taking the maca capsules, Mary T went through an enormous
turnaround," said Dr. Clark. "She has gone out to shop in
the stores; she’s cleaned her house; she feels strong and vigorous;
and her depression is gone."
Maca as an Anti-Ageing Herb for both Men and Women
Garry P Gordon, MD, former president of the American College for
Advancement in Medicine, now Founder and President of the
International College of Advanced Longevity Medicine, located in
Chicago, Illinois, bases his appreciation of maca on his own
experience with it. Dr Gordon says: "We all hear rumours about
various products like maca. But using this Peruvian root myself, I
personally experienced a significant improvement in erectile tissue.
I call it "nature’s answer to Viagra." "What I see in
maca is a means of normalising our steroid hormones, like
testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. Therefore it has the
capability to forestall hormonal changes of ageing," Dr Gordon
believes. "It acts on men to restore them to a healthy functional
status in which they experience a more active libido." Lots of
men and women who previously believed their sexual problems were
psychological are now clearly going to look for something
physiological to improve quality of life in the area of
sexuality", says Dr Gordon. "Of course, as someone
interested in longevity, I’m aware that mortality comes on much
sooner for those individuals whose sexual activity is diminished or
non existent. In other words, I believe that people who engage in sex
twice a week or more live longer. I’ve found sexual activity to be a
reliable marker for overall ageing."
Dr Burton Goldberg, President of Future Medicine Publishing in
Tiburon, California, whose latest book, An Alternative Medicine
Definitive Guide to cancer, is another enthusiast of maca. He says
that when he tried maca he was very pleased with the results and began
taking it regularly. "I’m a 72-year old man and this maca has
taken 25 years off my ageing sex life", "That’s pretty
important to me!, declares Dr Burton Goldberg.
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